A Bond Stronger Than Family
by TransformingTurtle
Summary: To some, they were just turtles- to others- mutant freaks; but to each other, they were brothers. They had each other's backs, whether it was blocking a fatal blow or giving up the last piece of pizza. They were a family that always stuck together, no matter what. At least, most of them felt that way about each other. There always has to be that one rebel, right?...


**A/N: I've always wanted to write a TMNT fic. I've had so many ideas go through my mind for a movie, wishing I could somehow produce one using my screenplay. Does that make me sound like a crazy person? Well, I am. Crazy obsessed over ninja turtles and anything I can get my hands on that has to do with it. Anyways, that's the boring part. This is my first attempt to write down my thoughts and form it into an actual story. I ran with this idea because there are simply not enough stories out about Mona Lisa, and I want to reminisce a little bit at the original series that started it all for me. So please, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

**~KC**

**FULL SUMMARY: **_To some, they were just turtles- to others- mutant freaks; but to each other, they were brothers. Always had been and always would be. They had each other's backs, whether it was blocking a fatal blow or giving up the last piece of pizza. Yes, they were a team. A team of highly trained ninjas that had mastered the dark shadows of the night- skills that couldn't compare to any human alive. But that wasn't all of who they were. They were a family. A family that always stuck together, no matter what. At least, most of them felt that way about each other. There always has to be that one rebel, right? Well, this particular, red-banded rebel went by the name of Raphael, and he's about to learn a lot on what it means to be family._

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><p>To the city of New York, it was a reasonably quiet night. Most of its citizens were fast asleep, and only a few subway trains could still be heard whirling about in the sewers. For the turtles, however, things were just starting to heat up. It started as a typical evening. Leo had randomly called for a training session in the dojo (which he often did when he was restless.) The four brothers had gave it their all to beat each other so the training could end, but per the norm, Raph's temper had gotten the best of him. His usual, unprecedented lashing out at Leo had already taken place and they were once again in the same situation as always. Raphael was now running along unknown rooftops of New York City trying to blow off steam, while Leo frantically paced back and forth at the entrance of the lair; daring to step foot outside and search for him. Most nights would not have made him as anxious as he was, but the recent increase in foot attacks made him wish he wouldn't have let Raph walk out like he did. Still, this was typical behavior for the hot head, and he usually came back after an hour or two. It had already been an hour and a half, so Leo waited, hoping his fears would be relived soon enough.<p>

It was cold, a brisk kind of air that would cause any normal human to freeze to death if not dressed properly- but not for Raph. He welcomed the frosty night as a relief to his ever presently burning anger. It almost felt like a game, to see just how long he could keep it up in the winter weather. So far so good. He stopped, after what felt like hours, to rest on abandoned rooftop that belonged to an equally vacant building. He knew this city too well. No one ever came this far, not even Shredder's thugs. He was safe up here, for a little while at least. The noise of sirens filled his ears as he dangled his legs over the edge of the skyscraper. Sounded like trouble to him- something he un-admittedly loved to find- but tonight was different. He didn't want to help anyone. He wanted to be left alone.

_What the heck is Leo's problem with me? _He thought. _Just because he's leader doesn't make him my father.….geez. How did I end up part of this family anyway? I'm not even like any of my brothers… _

His thought formed into memories of their childhood days. Raph was always the last one picked on the team. In all honesty, he was the best choice for the games they played. Leo had the most skill, but everyone knew Raph was the biggest and worked out the hardest. He could have probably taken Leo if he was angry enough, which is precisely why no one wanted him. They knew his temper would jeopardize the mission and that was no fun for the young mutants. Instead, they always wanted him to be, the monster, the villain. At first, Raph loved the role. He took much joy in beating his brothers at their silly games, but the fun didn't last for long. After all, he actually was sort of a hero in real-life. It hurt his feelings more than he'd ever care to admit that they only saw him as the bad guy. Sure, he gave them a hard time, but surely they knew how he really felt about them..

_Don't they?... _His thoughts were snapped away and his attention immediately turned to where he was positive someone was standing behind him. He could barely make out what looked like the silhouette of a person hiding in the shadows. He was about to challenge the coward when a voice spoke and beat him to it.

"A creepy old rooftop probably isn't the best place to let your guard down.

He jumped to his feet, sais already out and positioned for an attack. The voice wasn't what he expected.. _Is that a… _The figure stepped out from underneath the shadows to greet him face to face.._….a girl? _

Definitely not what he expected at all. It wasn't a foot soldier, or a purple dragon punk; or even some wise guy off the street. In fact, it wasn't human at all. The mutant revealed herself to be a giant, green she-lizard of some sort- a salamander maybe? Whatever she- it was, he wasn't going to waste any more time figuring it out. Raphael started to charge at her, but with a flick of her eye, her whole being began to change. Her once green skin started fading into an olive complexion. Her fin-like hands were replaced with fingers, and her mutant face dissolved into that of a human. The only thing that didn't change was her hair. Long brunette hair, tied up into a ponytail. The transformation was impressive. Within seconds, she had changed her mutant form into a human one, but how? He was so stunned by the whole event that he stopped dead in his tracks. She immediately threw her hands up in a surrender-like gesture.

"Woah now, you wouldn't hurt an innocent human, would you?…"

A smirk forming on her lips as she tucked a few pieces of hair behind her ear.

"You ain't human, lady. I don't what the heck you are, but yer highly mistakin' if you think that's gonna stop me from attackin' ya."

"I was just trying to give you some advice earlier. There's a lot of creeps out there who wouldn't have hesitated to kill you without warning just now."

"I don't need yer advice lady—err whatever you are."

"Mutant, obviously. The name's Mona."

"I don't care." _Except he did. _

"Well now, that's too bad, because my boss gave me orders to kill you."

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><p><strong>And that concludes chapter one, guys. I can't really tell if it's too short or not. I already have chapter two written, so if you guys actually like it, you will be seeing more very soon! Let me know what you think and if you have any advice for me. I'd love to hear from you:) <strong>

**~K.C.**


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